Normal and Typical

I think that some of the best advise and the most important thing that we have done as parents of a child with Down syndrome is to treat her as normally and typically as possible.  It really isn't hard....it comes rather easy.  Sure we have to adjust things a little, but we don't give her special treatment just because she has Down syndrome.  Truth is, we probably push her a little harder to do things, because we know she needs that push to get her going.

She brushes her own teeth, picks out her own clothes (most days) and with assistance, puts them on.  She has chores around the house and she has to help clean up and tidy her room.  She carries her own back pack and lunch bag at school and even puts them away her her locker.

She's a typical 4 year old....hanging out with friends.

And getting invited to birthdays.

 And she rarely misses a beat.  She keeps up so well for someone who is almost 1/2 as big as most kids her age.  

And is she ever crafty!  She sometimes gets a little carried away when studying the letter "Q" :)

She has good days and bad and once in awhile there is a temper tantrum where she just sits down in the middle of the store and refuses to go anywhere....just like typical 4 year olds.

She shows love and compassion and empathy for others and it melts my heart.  Not because I didn't think she would do that for others, but because she is such a caring person and such an example of love.

So while we make adjustments for her sometimes (since she is so small and doesn't talk much), we try our best to treat her like any other 4 year old and we hope you will do the same.